Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Increase the Incidence of Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy?

Georges Azar; Sophie Bonnin; Vivien Vasseur; Céline Faure; Flore Salviat; Catherine Vignal Clermont; Cherif Titah; Selim Farès; Elise Boulanger; Sabine Derrien; Aude Couturier; Amélie Duvilliers; Anthony Manassero; Rabih Hage; Ramin Tadayoni; Francine Behar-Cohen; Martine Mauget-Faÿsse

doi:10.3390/jcm10215038

Did the COVID-19 Pandemic Increase the Incidence of Acute Macular Neuroretinopathy?

J Clin Med. 2021 Oct 28;10(21):5038. doi: 10.3390/jcm10215038.

Authors

Georges Azar^{1

2}, Sophie Bonnin¹, Vivien Vasseur¹, Céline Faure³, Flore Salviat¹, Catherine Vignal Clermont¹, Cherif Titah^{1

2}, Selim Farès^{1

2}, Elise Boulanger¹, Sabine Derrien¹, Aude Couturier^{1

4}, Amélie Duvilliers¹, Anthony Manassero¹, Rabih Hage¹, Ramin Tadayoni^{1

4}, Francine Behar-Cohen^{5

6}, Martine Mauget-Faÿsse¹

Affiliations

¹ Clinical Investigative Platform Department, Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation, 75019 Paris, France.
² Anterior Segment Department, Adolphe de Rothschild Foundation, 75019 Paris, France.
³ Ramsay Générale de Santé, Private Hospital Saint Martin, 14000 Caen, France.
⁴ Ophthalmology Department, Lariboisière Hospital-Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, AP-HP, 75010 Paris, France.
⁵ Ophthalmology Department, OphtalmoPôle, Hôpital Cochin, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, AP-HP, Université de Paris, 75014 Paris, France.
⁶ Centre de Recherche des Cordeliers, Team 17, INSERM U1138, Université de Paris, 75006 Paris, France.

Abstract

Background: Acute macular neuroretinopathy (AMN) is an increasingly diagnosed disorder associated with several diseases. The aim of this study was to report the incidence of AMN cases diagnosed during the 2020 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic year in a French hospital, and to describe their different forms.

Methods: All patients diagnosed between 2019 and 2020, in Paris Rothschild Foundation Hospital, with AMN, paracentral acute middle maculopathy (PAMM) and multiple evanescent white dot syndrome (MEWDS) were retrospectively collected using the software Ophtalmoquery^® (Corilus, V1.86.0018, 9050 Gand, Belgium). Systemic and ophthalmological data from AMN patients were analyzed.

Results: Eleven patients were diagnosed with AMN in 2020 vs. only one patient reported in 2019. The incidence of AMN significantly increased from 0.66/100,000 visits in 2019 to 8.97/100,000 visits in 2020 (p = 0.001), whereas the incidence of PAMM and MEWDS remained unchanged. Four (36%) of these AMN patients were tested for COVID-19 and received positive polymerase chain reaction (PCR) tests.

Conclusions: The incidence of AMN cases increased significantly in our institution in 2020, which was the year of the COVID-19 pandemic. All AMN-tested patients received a positive COVID PCR test, suggesting a possible causative link. According to the different clinical presentations, AMN may reflect different severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2) pathogenic mechanisms.

Keywords: AMN; COVID-19; OCT angiography; SARS-CoV-2; acute macular neuroretinopathy; pandemic; retina.